Why You Should Bring a Shower Curtain Liner with You to the Beach

Going to the beach can be such a fun day trip for the kids while they’re on summer vacation! It’s a great way to kill an entire day and it’s fun for parents as well as kids. Plus, every kid should get to see the ocean and play in the sand every once in a while. But the beach brings its own set of troubles and dangers; the heat, the strangers, and the rough waters are just a few of the issues a worrisome parent has to combat on your average beach day. Well, we have one quick tip that will help ease your nerves about those choppy ocean waves, brought to us by the blog In Lieu of Preschool!

If your kids are obsessed with the ocean water, but they’re too little to be playing in the dangerous currents, try making a DIY beach kiddie pool. All you need is a clear shower curtain liner and you can make a quick, safe, and fun alternative for your kids to play in! They’ll still have a blast, don’t worry. And you’ll have a blast knowing they’re safe and sound.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Materials

Shower curtain liner

Buckets

Shovel(s)

Instructions

Start by digging a hole in the sand. Make sure it’s large enough so that the kids have room to play!

In Lieu of Preschool

Put in the shower liner, making sure it’s flat against the bottom of the hole. Bury the edges of the liner in the sand to keep it in place.

In Lieu of Preschool

Use the buckets to get ocean water and fill the pool.

In Lieu of Preschool

Have fun!

In Lieu of Preschool

So simple and such a fun summer DIY! What a really brilliant way to keep the kids safe and happy AND ensure a relaxing beach day for you.

If you want to take this clever hack to the next level, follow the lead of this bloggers’ husband; he took their original idea and upgraded it when they went to the beach the next day.

Here’s how he made this DIY even better.

Alternate Instructions

Dig an oval hole with a flat bottom roughly 2′ x 3′. Make sure your shower curtain liner will fit in the hole with plenty of overlap on all sides.

After your hole is dug, dig a trench about 4″ away from the edge of the hole all the way around, creating a crown.

Center your plastic shower curtain over the hole, and begin to put a little water into the hole to help the curtain start taking the contour of the pool.

Now that you have the shower curtain positioned and lining the bottom contour of the pool, the edges of the curtain should be wrapping over the crown and in the trench that you dug (if you cross stitch, this is kind of like anchoring your canvas between the two hoops). With the edges of the plastic in the trench, fill it in with sand. Walk around a bit to pack it down.

Fill the pool with water and have fun!

In Lieu of Preschool

For those of us with an engineering brain, this upgraded pool should appeal to you. If it’s extra bright and sunny outside, make sure to position an umbrella or canopy over your DIY kiddie pool, so that the kids won’t get burnt and the grown-ups can enjoy the shade!

When it’s clean up time, all you have to do is gently pull the liner out from the hole, wash it off, let it dry, and store it for next time! These are so pliable, so you can store them just about anywhere. When it’s time to bust it back out for the beach, it easily fits in a purse or beach bag. If you’re going to be using this trick a lot, invest in a heavy duty liner so it will last as long as the summer does.

What do you think of this DIY hack? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.